Reflections on Family Life
by merryfortune
Summary: Shouto has his reservations about becoming a father but Izuku assures him: he won't be anything like his father.


**Reflections on Family Life**

It is to Shouto's understanding that some of his best life choices must infuriate his father. After all, he is the perfect heir: the one with the Quirk that could usurp All for One and yet, here he is: in a marriage with All for One's heir.

The knowledge must drive his father insane. It must drive him beyond insane to know that the two most powerful Quirks known to humanity cannot Quirk Breed because the two heirs are both biologically male and therefore incapable of pregnancy.

Shouto sighed broodingly; again.

'A-Are you alright?' Izuku asked; again. His hands, scarred and small, coiled tightly around the wheel of their car. Shouto was in the passenger seat. He glanced over his shoulder at the empty booster seat; again.

'I'm not certain, Izuku.' Shouto replied; for the first time.

Izuku had been counting each brooding sigh. So far there had been nine since the moment they had left the below ground floor of their apartment complex in their boxy, safest possible model car. They had been travelling for ten minutes and this was the first time that Izuku had gotten a response.

'What are you uncertain... about?' Izuku asked cautiously. He felt like he knew the answer but he needed to hear it from Shouto so he could affirm his suspicions.

'Wh-What if... I'm like my father.' Shouto replied and he grabbed onto the seatbelt; trying to anchor himself so he could weather against the terrible possibility.

'You would never be anything like your father, Shouto. You know that.' Izuku said.

He felt like he could have accidentally gone off the road after hearing that. He glanced at Shouto but brought his eyes back to the highway. There were four lanes and cars in every one of them. They were packed in tightly amid the traffic but they were going at a healthy speed so they were likely to arrive at their destination on time. There was still twenty minutes in this trip left. He licked his lips. He really hoped there was still twenty minutes left in this trip. Both men would hate to be late to an appointment like this.

'We don't know that for certain.' Shouto replied with a grimace; his eyes wandered out the window. His hand still clutching onto his seatbelt like it was a lifeline.

'But we do know that for certain.' Izuku said pointedly. 'All of Japan believes you are courageous, kind, and noble.'

'Japan thought that about Endeavour too.' Shouto mumbled.

'Yes but now everyone knows how corrupt and abusive he is.' Izuku said.

'How do we know that I'm not corrupt and abusive?' Shouto said.

'You refused to fight using flames. You still refuse to fight using your flames. That's some dedication and I believe that truly gauges your character, Shouto. You would never use your powers for wrong and you know that.' Izuku said.

'I feel like I should but it just doesn't sink in.' Shouto lamented.

'It will one day, Shouto. One day, things will lighten up and until then, we've just got to smile.' Izuku chirruped.

'You make it sound so easy.' groaned Shouto.

'I know it's not but I'd like to believe. Don't you want to believe?' Izuku asked.

'I want to believe.' Shouto replied firmly.

'Then we've gotta try.' Izuku affirmed.

'We'll try.' Shouto echoed; he hoped hearing himself say it would stir up conviction. It really didn't but the empty sentiment felt nice regardless.

The rest of the car trip was silence. It was fine though. The passenger side window was then opened a crack and it drowned out anything unnecessary that didn't need to be said.

Shouto only spoke up again when he realised Izuku almost made a wrong turn. His heart began to beat faster. Izuku was sweating bullets. Neither of them had been this nervous since their wedding day two years ago. Shouto's hands trembled and Izuku's had gone white.

'We're here.' Izuku said as they trundled slowly into a car park. 'We are here, right?' His voice was tense.

Shouto gaped. 'I-I'm certain.' he said; his mouth out of synch with his voice. He checked the GPS twice. 'Yes, this is it. I'm certain.'

'Thank goodness.' Izuku murmured and he turned the ignition off. The engine hissed as it died. 'Shouto is it me or is it hot in here?' he asked suddenly and tugged on his collar. Perhaps this shirt he bought last week was too small.

Shouto glanced around. 'No, no, I'm just panicking.' he replied, oddly calm.

'Ah, that explains the smell.' Izuku murmured with a nod; his wild hair bounced.

Shouto hadn't let go of the seatbelt since he grabbed onto it which was unfortunate. He was now burning a hole into it. Smoke that was not quite black rose up in foil with a rubbery stench. Izuku opened all the windows and cranked up the air conditioner. Shouto gingerly let go of the seatbelt and unbuckled himself. However, he sank back into his chair further. He met Izuku's concerned stare.

'We can handle this.' Izuku said defiantly. 'Together, we've dealt with villains of the most catastrophic scale. We can totally handle this.'

'Are you certain? This mightn't actually be something we can actually face.' Shouto said.

'The world must be ending.' Izuku replied, sarcastically.

'We've seen the world almost end; I wouldn't say it's that drastic.' Shouto said. After so much nonsense, he was finally making sense. It would seem though, that the spirit of absurd notions had passed onto Izuku.

'But our tiny world is going to end.' Izuku said with melodramatic hand gestures; eyes gone wide.

'Izuku, I love you. We can handle this.' Shouto said.

'Oh how the tables turn. Just a moment ago you were convinced of the worst possible outcome.' Izuku chimed in, snide.

'My worst fear is more reasonable than your worst fear.' Shouto barked.

Shouto glanced at the digital clock in the dashboard. He took a deep breath. The smell was gone and Izuku had noticed it to as he started to turn off the air conditioner. He wound up the windows.

'Let's do this.' both men said to each other. They bravely exited the car. The doors flapped open then slammed behind them. They took another deep breath. Izuku locked the car and then they stepped forward into what was almost the unknown: the orphanage.

It had been a lengthy process but it was going to be worth it; even with their sudden, last minute reservations and jitters. Many adoption agencies had been hesitant to assign the two heroes with a case but they had eventually found one willing to match them to one of their ward.

A lady with three eyes greeted them with a smile. 'It's good to meet you gentlemen in the flesh.' she said. Both men recognised her voice as they had spoken numerously over the phone. It had been one of her peers who had handled their in-person paperwork.

'It's good to finally meet you, Kirisaki-san.' Izuku said. He and Shouto bowed her.

She bowed in reply. 'Thank you for your patronage. You're going to change one young girl's life but as heroes, you must get that a lot.' Kirisaki-san said.

'Haha, yeah, a little bit.' Izuku replied modestly. He glanced at Shouto. He was usually so cool under pressure but now, he was all choked up. It was a rare sight and somewhat adorable.

'We believe she will change ours.' Shouto finally piped up.

'She most certainly will.' Kirisaki-san said.

She stepped aside. 'Here, allow me to guide you around the home.'

'Thank you so much.' Shouto said.

Kirisaki-san guided the two men around the home for a few moments whilst one of her peers organised the last minute details of the child being adopted. The home was a very nice place: it was clean and smelt nice, the food prepared, was close to a park. It was also a very old home and had been established a century ago. It seemed like it would be a nice home with a nice atmosphere but no orphanage can replace a traditional family.

Once a few minutes had been filled in, Kirisaki-san returned Izuku and Shouto to the front area. A girl sat on a seat and was accompanied by one of the carers. Her things were packed up and were ready to be taken into the car.

Seeing Susumu immediately brought Izuku to tears which he handled poorly. He snivelled into his sleeve and Shouto comforted him awkwardly. Shouto could understand why. Neither could believe it. Izuku and Shouto, the one true loves of each other's life, were going to be parents.

Kirisaki-san carefully approached the girl. 'Hello, Susumu-chan, your new daddies are here to pick you up. Are you excited?'

'I'm going to miss my friends.' she murmured. She looked up, in the general direction of Izuku and Shouto. 'But... I think I'll love my new Daddy and Papa.'

She would have been five. She was a very small child but had a very rounded face, rounded limbs. She had long, pale brown hair that was tied up in twin ponytails on the side of her head. She had rosy, chubby cheeks and possibly freckles. She wore a generic-looking dress that was possibly a hand-me-down.

But her eyes, they were unusually glassy. Her eyes were an unnaturally icy, pale blue but her pupils were similar to egg yolks. That would be because of her Quirk.

Shouto had insisted on finding a Quirkless child to adopt but Izuku refused. He wanted All for One to die with him. He didn't believe that the next generation of All for One would benefit anyone. He had it in his head that by the time the next heir of All for One was likely to die if it was ever mastered. Given the state of his hands – scarred, calloused, and generally misshapen – Shouto eventually had to agree.

And so, Izuku and Shouto had been matched with Kagami Susumu. Most of the details regarding her birth parents were classified information. Information here Quirk, although closely linked with the circumstances of her life before the orphanage, was not as heavily guarded. Susumu's Quirk was called "Fairyland Mirror" and due to complications with its development, Susumu's single mother was unable to care for her.

Fairyland Mirror allows Susumu to use any reflective surface as her eyes but it also allows her distort whatever appears in the reflections; usually with a fantasy twist hence the name. Unfortunately, sometime during her Quirk's development, Susumu had overused it and suffered the aftermath harshly.

The consequence of overusing her Quirk should have been temporary blindness, according to the doctors, but apparently not. The blindness that ensued in wake of her Quirk can be managed with routine surgery and medication but her mother was unable to monetarily support her daughter's medical bills and due to other, unknown factors in her life, Susumu was surrendered regretfully, lamentably.

It was because of her Quirk, that Susumu had been matched quickly to the high profile heroes. Her vision had been a limiter for her power. Even without it, she could theoretically control it. However, with no ability to perceive what she is doing, her Quirk has morphed into something that could utterly wreck reality if it remains unchecked. Fairyland Mirror can only be trusted under the guidance of the two most renowned and powerful heroes.

Izuku and Shouto approached. Their boat shoes slapped loudly against the tiles. Susumu was well aware of both men approaching. She stared, awed, in their general direction with a huge grin.

'Hello!' she yelled.

'Hello, Susumu-chan.' Izuku said to her softly as he got down on one knee. Susumu raised her hand and she reached for Izuku's head. He smiled and let her play with her hair.

'Ah, it's Izuku-Papa.' she said after determining who was in front of her based on the fluffy texture of the hair she was pulling.

Izuku glanced at Shouto who stood awkwardly. He towered over Izuku and Susumu.

'I'm here too... Susumu-chan.' he said with a hint of hesitance.

'I know that voice. It's Shouto-Daddy.' Susumu piped up cheerfully. 'Satsuki-nee-chan says you to aren't here for a play date. Are you two really taking me home?'

'Yep! Isn't that great, Susumu-chan.' Izuku said.

'I'm going to miss home but I'm super excited!' Susumu gushed.

Kirisaki-san smiled. 'Would you two like a moment? Satsuki-chan and I can take Susumu-chan's things to your car, if you wish.'

Shouto turned to her. 'That would be muchly appreciated.'

The carer, Satsuki-san, nodded and got up.

'I'll be back in a moment, Susumu-chan. I'm just going to go help Kirisaki-nee-chan with putting your things in the car. Is that okay, Susumu-chan?'

'That's fine, Satsuki-nee-chan.' Susumu said.

Izuku passed on his keys to Satsuki-san whilst Kirsaki-san picked up Susumu's luggage and strolled off. As she left, Izuku noticed that Satsuki-san had dragonfly-like wings poking through her blouse and tucked around her back. They were almost like pink, glittery lace on her shirt.

Izuku sat next to Susumu and Shouto sat on her other side. Both men held her hands. She smiled aimlessly.

'I'm so happy.' she said.

'We're happy too, Susumu-chan.' Izuku said.

Shouto wanted to say something but he wasn't sure he ought to say. Susumu's hands were so tiny inside his own. She wasn't warm but she wasn't cold. He smiled mutely. He couldn't believe he had reservations about having her join the family. Perhaps it was a good thing that she was set to drastically destroy his and Izuku's worlds.

Susumu blathered happily to her adoptive fathers. They smiled, love-struck; absolutely lackadaisical. It had been a long time coming but it was certainly welcomed. They couldn't believe it still. They were going to be fathers. Technically, they already were. They had met Susumu a few times before; played with her, read to her, listened to her, and fell in love with her happy-go-lucky personality. She had absolutely taken to having the two men as her fathers from the get-go.

It was wonderful.

A moment later, Kirisaki-san and Satsuki-san returned.

'I put it in the trunk of your car.' Kirisaki-san said.

Satsuki-san knelt next to Susumu. Her wings unfurled from around her and she smiled softly. She radiated happiness; a visible aura that manifested in the form of a pastel, pink grace that felt as warm as gentle sunshine.

'You're all packed, Susumu-chan. If Shouto-Daddy and Izuku-Papa are ready, then they are permitted to take you to your new home. We'll miss you and if you wish, you can visit but I think you'll love your new home more.'

'Never!' Susumu pouted. 'I'll always love my family here even if I might act like I love my new daddies more.'

'I'm sure, sweetheart.' Satsuki-san said. She pecked Susumu's forehead then got up. She nodded to Shouto and Izuku.

'I'm ready if you are.' Izuku said as he took his keys back from Satsuki-san.

'I'm definitely ready.' Shouto affirmed.

Susumu threw her hands into the air. 'I wanna be carried!'

Shouto recoiled; as though this development was unexpected. He looked at Izuku.

'If I'm driving then I probably shouldn't carry her.' Izuku said. 'Driving's s'posed to be exercise for my arthritis, remember?'

'I know, I know.' Shouto replied.

He crouched down to Susumu who was trying to grab at him. 'Alright, Susumu-chan...' He spoke her name uncertainly. 'I'll carry you.'

'Thank you, Shouto-Daddy!' she screamed. She latched onto him firmly and Shouto supported her weight. She was like a koala, the way she hugged onto him. Shouto smiled one of his rare smiles.

He didn't know why he ever thought he wouldn't be cut out for this. He could do this. He wouldn't be anything like his father. He refused. He wouldn't ever hurt this small child, this little angel, in any way. He refused.

Izuku glanced at him. He could see the paternal epiphany in Shouto's heterochromatic eyes. He smiled. 'Are you ready to go?'

'I am.' Susumu piped up.

'Me too.' Shouto said.

'Fantastic.' Izuku replied.

Kirisaki-san and Satsuki-san wished the fathers and their daughter farewell with a sprinkling of good luck. It was always bittersweet to see a child leave.

Shouto strapped Susumu into her booster seat. She was unwilling to have so many seatbelts to say the least but Izuku chimed in front the front with some silly safety songs which quelled her temporarily; long enough for Shouto to buckle her in. Shouto closed the door; but he had to check the child lock twice. He also went to sit in the passenger seat twice but then he got caught between decisions and ended up in the back next to Susumu. She found that amusing. Izuku found it forgivable as he was just as nervous.

He had a heart attack when he saw that whilst reversing out of the park they were in that he reached fifteen miles per hour. This was going to be an interesting trip back to their childproofed apartment back in the city but neither man would have it any other way; even if their newly adopted daughter's taste in music was questionable – she sang the entire way home and butchered every nursery rhyme she had ever learned.

 **:**

 **[AN: Susumu doesn't grow up to be a hero but if she were to, her alias would be "Titania". I also headcannon Deku as having to deal with arthritis prematurely. ]**


End file.
